Blogs from Sadogashima, Niigata, Japan, Asia

Travelling in Japan is a precise art. If you are late by 1 minute you miss your ride. THAT CAN BE UNHEALTHY. We awoke at 630AM to leave to go to Sado Island. We had to take a series of 8 separate rides to get to our destination. Subway, Bullet train , Bullet Train, Taxi, Jet Boat, Bus, Bus, Taxi We hopped on the subway to start our trip. 6 subway stops later we are onto our next leg from the JR station (Bullet Train) We actually have to take 2 of these trains. Before we embarked we bought 2 Bento Boxes (lunch boxes) which consists of many different snacks. A little of each flavor. Once on the train we settled in to our next destination, Tokyo. 3 hours later we arrived and promptly switched trains ... read more

But backtracking to the beginning (Niigata). I got back there from Nagano via 2 shinkansen – Nagano to Takasaki where the Nagano line crosses with that to Niigata (the Joetsu line) then from Takasaki to Niigata – all this takes only 2 hrs or so – I only had a 7 min. wait there. In Niigata stayed at another Dormy Inn – I had stayed at one in Akita and thought it pretty good for around the $55 mark. However this was likely a recon job and was not as sparkly and new as the other one. It did however have a 10thfloor hot tub bath with a view (if you stood up – and it wasn’t night). It was quite nice – spoke to in the change room an English speaking guy from Kurgystan (sp.?) ... read more